Chinese FM holds talks with DRC counterpart on bilateral cooperation

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (3rd L, Front) holds talks with his counterpart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Marie Tumba Nzeza (3rd R, Front) in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo by Gao Junya/Xinhua)

KINSHASA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his counterpart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Marie Tumba Nzeza on Wednesday during his official visit to the country.

Wang said that mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual trust are the basis for the healthy and stable development of China-DRC relations.

China's friendly policy towards the DRC maintains continuity and stability and is not affected by changes in their respective domestic situations. China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries and respects the choices made by the DRC people, he said.

"We hope that the DRC will maintain political stability and realize national unity and national rejuvenation. China-DRC relations have withstood the test of time and will certainly be further consolidated and strengthened," said Wang.

China firmly supports the DRC in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and supports the DRC's reasonable demands in the international community, he said.

" I believe the DRC will continue to give China understanding and support on issues involving China's core interests," he said.

Wang said that last year, the China-DRC trade grew against the trend, reflecting the high degree of complementarity and great potential for development between the two countries' economies. China is willing to further promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries according to the needs of the DRC side, he said.

Gradually deepening the cooperation between the two countries in the fields of health, agriculture, education, digital and other fields will help the DRC to transform its resource advantages into development advantages, promote the industrialization process, benefit ordinary people, and improve the country's independent development capability, said Wang.

Wang hoped that the DRC would provide a good business environment and sound security for Chinese enterprises in the country.

The two countries reached a consensus on jointly building the " Belt and Road", which will drive more Chinese enterprises to invest in the DRC, he said.

Wang said that China congratulates the DRC for its forthcoming rotating chair of the African Union (AU) and supports the DRC in performing its duties to coordinate African countries to maintain unity, develop their economies and move towards prosperity.

Both China and Africa stand for multilateralism, oppose unilateralism, uphold fairness, justice, oppose power bullying, and work for democratization in international relations and a multi-polar world, said Wang.

Wang hoped that the DRC will give full play to the role of the rotating chair of the AU, push for fruitful results of the new session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), open up a brighter future for China-Africa cooperation and build an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future.

The friendship between China and the DRC has a long history. The relationship between the two countries is based on mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit, said Nzeza.

The DRC thanked China for its important help in maintaining peace and realizing development in the country. The DRC firmly supports China in safeguarding national unity and territorial integrity, she said.

The DRC hopes to further deepen its strategic partnership with China and continuously strengthen cooperation between the two countries in medical care, agriculture, clean energy, education, power infrastructure, digital industry, humanities and other fields, she said.

The DRC welcomes China to further increase its investment in the country. The DRC is just about to assume the rotating chair of the AU and is willing to actively promote Africa's integration and promote Africa to play a greater role in international and regional issues, she said.

The DRC is willing to actively participate in the preparations for the new FOCAC meeting and contribute to its success, said Nzeza.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Following the talks, the two sides jointly met the press.